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How Do I Plan for My Child's Life When I Am Gone?

How Do I Plan for My Child's Life When I Am Gone?

Envisioning the lives of your loved ones following a parent's passing is a subject of great importance, yet people shy away from it because the topic is not easy to face.  Covid forced all of us to realize the fragility of life with a sense of greater urgency.  Proactive planning is especially crucial for caregivers of children and adults with disabilities because their are financial considerations as well as identifying who the torch of caregiving can be passed onto.

The Arc is a pioneer in addressing this need for families.  Support Coordinators are trained to offer comprehensive Future Planning with competency and sensitivity.  This service is offered to families who have children with disabilities of any age and is broken down into a series of manageable steps.  A primary focus is developing a Letter of Intent.  This is a final gift and tool that serves as a roadmap to where you hoped to lead your child and what you have learned over the years.  This guide allows one to document family values, identify important traditions one would want the next caregiver to maintain, and a place to record important financial, medical, legal, and other information one would need to seamlessly step into a care-giving role.

Developing a Special Needs Trust is an important legal step so that financial benefits can be passed on to a person with a disability without negatively impacting them from lifeline resources such as Medicaid and benefits from the Social Security Administration.  Maryland also allows families to establish ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts.  These are tax-advantage savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and can be set up and accessed throughout a person's lifetime.  The enhance quality of life by allowing for savings that do not impact benefits.

Alternatives to guardianship protect a person's individual rights while identifying trusted people to guide a person with a disability in making important medical and financial decisions.  This preferred step in planning allows for self-determination without involving court oversight, interventions, and reporting.

Support Coordinators offer caring support and referrals to legal resources to guide families in Future Planning.  this service includes the person with a disability so planning is transparent and the person served is an active participant in planning a future with dignity.

Contact The Arc at (301) 663-0909 or info@arcfc.org for assistance.

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Terms & Conditions

In the course of its regular fundraising activities, The Arc of Frederick County will accept donations of the following: money, securities, real property, and personal property. The Arc of Frederick County may elect to refuse gifts of cash, securities, real estate, or other items of value if there is reason to believe that such gifts are incompatible with the mission of the organization, conflict with its core values, or would create a financial, administrative, or programmatic burden. The Executive Director will refer questionable gifts to the Board of Directors for guidance on a case-by-case basis. Arc staff are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Executive Director any concerns they may have about the appropriateness of accepting any gift. The Arc of Frederick County may elect to refuse gifts of any type if the potential gift poses a conflict of interest -- including but not limited to real conflicts of interest, appearances of conflicts of interest, or perceived conflicts of interest. When donations are accepted with restrictions, those conditions will be honored. If The Arc of Frederick County cannot meet those conditions, staff will ask the Board of Directors for guidance about returning the donation or requesting modifications in the donor's conditions. Requests by donors to remain anonymous, have their names removed from mailing lists, or to restrict appeals will be honored. Information about donors that should be private will not be made public. Donors will not be subject to excessive pressure when solicited for contributions. The Arc of Frederick County does not share our donor lists with outside organizations, with the exception of The Arc of the United States and The Arc of Maryland. Donors may request that their names not be shared with these two organizations. The Arc of Frederick County does not hire outside fundraisers or pay fundraisers on a percentage basis. Volunteers who solicit contributions for The Arc of Frederick County will be monitored by the Board of Directors.

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